Downtown Discussion Continued - Thank you all for your contributions to what has been a terrific discussion of today's downtown Sarasota. The comments posted so far reflect what I'm hearing around town, over all with a majority of positive comments, but not exclusively.
One of the most interesting conversations I've had so far was with a gentleman who started his business on Main Street 50 years ago, and described the thriving retail scene which included Sears and Roebuck. He talked about the subsequent decline and how he worked with the city to change zoning to allow taller buildings and more density, and hopefully bring more customers. This was around 40 years ago. SRQ941girl said, "the old Sarasota families saw it thru the depressed era on Main St, stuck here thru the good and bad," and this gentleman personifies that comment, in fact he refers to himself and those who stuck it out downtown as "The Survivors." He had stopped by my office to go on record with how pleased he was that all of those efforts over time were bearing fruit, to his mind in a very positive way.
One other thing I have to mention is the reference to the fact that there used to be things for teenagers to do but now there aren't. Although I have to agree that roller skating on the streets around Five Points today wouldn't be well advised, I'm not sure that downtown being "closed" on the weekend to allow for that is a better option. I'll probably get myself into trouble here, but I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that teenagers felt like they had anything to do. My frame of reference as a teenager is small-town central Indiana, and I have to say that as I look out my open windows at this 70 degree January day the options for a Sarasota teenager are vast compared to what was available to me, which was basically a daily search for someplace warm to play basketball. Sure, I still have a halfway decent jump shot left over from that, but given other options for spending that time who knows what other skills I might have discovered.
Of course these looks back are always colored by nostalgia; is it the place we remember so fondly, or is it really our youth? Interesting question that one. I'll be visiting my roots this very weekend, and the funny thing about it is that little rural Indiana county has exploded and is growing even faster today than Sarasota County. I'll be trying to put myself in the shoes of Sarasota natives who are disconcerted about growth and change
as I visit there and look back at what the place used to be.
One of the most interesting conversations I've had so far was with a gentleman who started his business on Main Street 50 years ago, and described the thriving retail scene which included Sears and Roebuck. He talked about the subsequent decline and how he worked with the city to change zoning to allow taller buildings and more density, and hopefully bring more customers. This was around 40 years ago. SRQ941girl said, "the old Sarasota families saw it thru the depressed era on Main St, stuck here thru the good and bad," and this gentleman personifies that comment, in fact he refers to himself and those who stuck it out downtown as "The Survivors." He had stopped by my office to go on record with how pleased he was that all of those efforts over time were bearing fruit, to his mind in a very positive way.
One other thing I have to mention is the reference to the fact that there used to be things for teenagers to do but now there aren't. Although I have to agree that roller skating on the streets around Five Points today wouldn't be well advised, I'm not sure that downtown being "closed" on the weekend to allow for that is a better option. I'll probably get myself into trouble here, but I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that teenagers felt like they had anything to do. My frame of reference as a teenager is small-town central Indiana, and I have to say that as I look out my open windows at this 70 degree January day the options for a Sarasota teenager are vast compared to what was available to me, which was basically a daily search for someplace warm to play basketball. Sure, I still have a halfway decent jump shot left over from that, but given other options for spending that time who knows what other skills I might have discovered.
Of course these looks back are always colored by nostalgia; is it the place we remember so fondly, or is it really our youth? Interesting question that one. I'll be visiting my roots this very weekend, and the funny thing about it is that little rural Indiana county has exploded and is growing even faster today than Sarasota County. I'll be trying to put myself in the shoes of Sarasota natives who are disconcerted about growth and change
as I visit there and look back at what the place used to be.
posted by Michael McNees at 10:48 AM
1 comments
